Philip Short facts for kids

Philip Short (born on April 17, 1945) is a British journalist and author. He is well-known for writing detailed books about important historical figures. These books are called biographies.

He was born in Bristol, England. Philip Short studied at Queens' College, Cambridge, a famous university.

Early Career as a Journalist

After finishing college, Philip Short started his career as a journalist. From 1967 to 1973, he worked as a freelance journalist. This means he wrote articles for different newspapers and magazines. He worked in Malawi and then in Uganda. These are countries in Africa.

Becoming a Foreign Correspondent

Later, Philip Short joined the BBC. The BBC is a big news organization in the United Kingdom. He became a foreign correspondent. A foreign correspondent reports news from other countries. They live in different parts of the world to cover important events. Philip Short worked for the BBC for 25 years. He traveled widely and reported on many global stories.

Writing Biographies

Philip Short is famous for his many books. Most of his books are biographies. A biography tells the life story of a real person. He has written about several powerful leaders from history.

Notable Biographies

Some of the people Philip Short has written about include:

• Hastings Banda: A former leader of Malawi.
• Mao Zedong: A very important leader in China's history.
• Pol Pot: A leader from Cambodia.
• François Mitterrand: A former president of France.
• Vladimir Putin: The current president of Russia.

His biographies help people understand the lives and times of these leaders.

Television Work

In May 2007, Philip Short also worked on a TV show. He presented a documentary about Mao Zedong. The show was called Mao's Bloody Revolution Revealed. It was shown on the UK TV channel Five.